Inquirer editorial: Keep tabs on how Philly soda tax cash is spent

Mayor Kenney's campaign to pass a tax on sweetened beverages hinged on his proposal to spend $91 million annually to expand prekindergarten programs. But $300 million will be used to secure bonds to upgrade libraries, recreation centers, and other facilities, so the public must focus on how that money will be spent.

Tough decisions on which facilities should be improved and which ones are too dilapidated or underused to save must be made. Those decisions should be devoid of the political considerations that can crop up when City Council members exercise their "prerogative" in development cases. Fortunately, a tool to help avoid that problem can be found in a sweeping analysis of conditions at 406 parks, libraries, and rec centers.

While the report, funded by a William Penn Foundation grant, makes no specific recommendations, it assembles facts that lead to certain conclusions. For example, there are 174 clusters of facilities such as a library, ball field, school yard, or rec center within a block of each other. Thirty-one are adjacent or just across the street. Why not consolidate their services into a single complex with one staff? That could save money without sacrificing familiar locations.

Only 10 percent of the city's parks, recreation centers, and libraries are in exceptional condition, typically because they are new or were recently overhauled. Most of the other facilities have limped through hard times. But despite the wear, many remain vibrant social centers in their neighborhoods. They are kept open by diligent caretakers who, like doctors performing triage, have made tough choices to, for example, keep heaters working in winter so children have a warm place to play. Meanwhile, cracked walls and warped floors go unrepaired.

Traveling across the city reveals glaring issues that Kenney's rehab program should address. Ball fields are sinking, roofs are leaking, and some two-story buildings are inaccessible to wheelchairs. There's a toxic waste site near the playground at Trenton Avenue and Auburn Street. The Walnut Street West library needs electrical work and has leaky windows. The Paschalville library pretty much needs a complete overhaul.

The public must play a central role in deciding what gets done. Official assurances that residents won't be left out of the process must bear out. City Hall needs to make sure the facilities report and any other pertinent information is available so people understand when decisions are made to close what is no longer a community asset.

The city says it will begin meeting with residents in the fall to hear what they have to say before drawing up specific plans. Construction projects are expected to begin in the spring of 2017 and continue for several years. Throughout the process, spending should be completely transparent and records made available in an easily accessible format so the public can keep track.

There won't be enough money to fix every problem, so public participation in deciding what gets done is essential. Smart planning lifted Center City and nearby neighborhoods. The same approach can spread similar results to the rest of the city.